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Skills: conversational writing techniqueConcepts: the growing role of conversational writing, JCR Licklider, the formal nature of conversational writing, synchronous versus asynchronous applicationsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. Conversational writing1Much of our writing on the Internet takes the form of conversations.

Well informally analyze an effective email conversation, asking what makes it good, and leaving you with some tips.

Hopefully being aware of what makes a conversation effective will improve our conversational writing.

Well also look at an ineffective email conversation to see some pitfalls.

Well also distinguish between synchronous and asynchronous applications and mention the role of JCR Licklider, a leader in early research on both the personal computer and the Internet.

We tend to take Internet conversations for granted, and to be rushed and sloppy.

I hope this presentation will improve the quality of your Internet conversations.Where does this topic fit?Internet conceptsApplicationsTechnologyImplicationsInternet skillsApplication developmentContent creation (text)User skills2The presentation deals with the creation of text content.Conversation examplesAn email conversation with an individualAn email conversation with a group of people on a list serverA conversation with a group of people on a threaded discussion forumA comment on a blog postAn online chat3Here are some examples of Internet conversation.

Youve surely had an email conversation, and probably several or even all of the others, but may not have thought about the process.

Well ask what makes an effective conversation in this presentation, but first, lets hear an example of the ways conversation is used at work.

Meet Jason FriedWhich do you think he considers most important?When hiring, Jason Fried looks for:A positive attitudeA well rounded, flexible personA quick learnerTrustworthiness an independent workerA good writer

Most important (34 sec)All five criteria (2m 42sec)

4Jason Fried is the founder of 37 Signals, a prominent Internet software company.

Fried speaks and writes frequently on software design and development.

In one talk, he outlined the five things he looks for when interviewing job applicants.

As you see, he considers being a good writer the most important.

That is because work is increasingly decentralized and workers often interact online rather than in person.

Stop at this point and listen to these two short excerpts from Frieds talk.

The short excerpt focuses on writing.

In the longer one, he explains each of his five hiring criteria.J. C. R. Licklider

Licklider and Taylor, The Computer as a Communication Device, 1968.

5Fried was not the first to understand the importance of online conversation.

JCR Licklider deserves much of the credit for the invention and development of both the personal computer and the Internet.

He foresaw the importance of computer networks and personal computers, and was instrumental in funding the early research that led to both.

This illustration is from a 1968 paper in which he and co-author Bob Taylor described the online conversations we would have one day.

The paper is worth reading today even though it was written long before the Internet began..

Licklider was a visionary to whom we owe a great debt.

An effective email conversationWould you like to have lunch today?

> Would you like to have lunch today?Yes, what time and where?

> Yes, what time and where?How about noon at Felippes?

Noon is great --- where is Felippes?

Felippes is near Union station --- here is a link: http://

Great -- I will meet you there at noon.

OK6Lets look at an example of an effective email conversation.

Pause and read it over -- what do you think made it effective?

Its effective becauseThe conversation was focused and stayed on topic.

They quoted each other in replies to stay focused and to let the other person know they were being heard.

No statements or queries were ignored.

The conversation came to a shared agreement.

Both parties felt the conversation was ended -- there were no loose ends.

7One reason the conversation succeeded is that the participants quoted each others previous messages as a reminder of the context.

Quoting is necessary because the person you are talking to may be involved in many conversations.

It also lets them know youre reading carefully and paying attention to what they are saying.

No statements or queries were ignored there were no loose ends when the conversation ended.

The participants came to a shared agreement.

An ineffective email conversationhttp://som.csudh.edu/fac/lpress/presentations/bademail.docxSame timeDifferent timeSame placeShared screen in classroomDifferent placeOnline chat sessionEmail, blog comments, threaded discussionConversation classificationOur lunch-date conversation used email, but there are other forms of Internet conversation.

We can classify them as to whether all participants must be present at the same time and whether they can be at different places during the conversation.

If the participants must all be online at the same time, we say the application is synchronous.

If they can contribute at different times, it is asynchronous, not synchronized.

For example, email conversations are asynchronous.

Perhaps you read your email only once a day, and reply to any pending messages at that time.

Similarly, you can still comment on a blog post long after it was published.

9Conversational writing tipsThink about the purpose of the conversation.

Quote previous statements when appropriate.

Reply to all questions or requests for information no loose ends.

Respond (positively or negatively) to all requests for a commitment, and honor commitments or deadlines you agree to.

Read carefully before replying.

If time allows, set your reply aside before re-reading and sending it. Better yet, have someone else read it.

10Weve seen the importance of Internet conversation, analyzed a successful example, and learned to differentiate between synchronous and asynchronous applications.

These conversational writing tips summarize what weve seen.SummarySame timeDifferent timeSame placeShared screen in classroomDifferent placeOnline chat sessionEmail, blog comments, threaded discussionWeve seen good and bad examples of email conversations and tips for good conversational writing.

We also saw a formal scheme that classified statements in conversational writing, tipped our hats to JCR Licklider, who understood that we would be conversing online fifty years ago.

Finally, we differentiated between synchronous and asynchronous conversation tools..11We are covering three types of writing that are common on the Internet. Conversational writing is one what are the other two?Which Internet conversation applications are synchronous?Which Internet conversation applications have you used? Did you use them in school, at work or in your personal life?Have you had an Internet conversation with a stranger?Are you reluctant to post a comment on a blog or ask a question on an email list? If so, what do you think stops you?When you reply to an email or other message, do you include snippets from the original to establish the context.Google J. C. R. Licklider and describe his role in funding the research leading to the personal computer and Internet.

Self-study questions12ResourcesTalk by Jason Fried: http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail471.html

Jason Fried on decentralizing work:http://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_work.html

Licklider and Taylor, The Computer as a Communication Device, reprinted from Science and Technology, April 1968: and J. C. R. Licklider, Man-Computer Symbiosis January 1992 IEEE Annals of the History of Computing , Volume 14 Issue 1 http://memex.org/licklider.pdf

Winograd, Terry, A Language/Action Perspective on the Design of Cooperative Work, Human-Computer Interaction 3:1 (1987-88), 3-30.http://hci.stanford.edu/winograd/papers/language-action.html

An ineffective email conversation:http://som.csudh.edu/fac/lpress/presentations/bademail.docx

Formal analysis of conversationsRequest for action: a request or offer which is subsequently confirmed or dropped

Request for clarification: obtaining more information about something said earlier or in a prior conversation

Creating possibilities: creating ideas and selecting one or more for future discussion

Orientation: exchanging information about themselves or a situationOptional14Terry Winograd and Fernando Flores developed a system for analyzing conversations in the 1980s when the Internet and email were just beginning to catch on.

They came up with four kinds of statements -- requests for action or clarification and statements for creating possibilities and for orientation.

They believed that no statement should be ignored.

For example, if one person requests an action, the other must respond, and, if the offer is accepted, they must agree on a completion date.

Winograd and Flores developed a software package that forced users to make formal commitments.

It didnt catch on, but they focused our attention on the nature of conversations.Formal analysisWould you like to have lunch today?

> Would you like to have lunch today? Yes, what time and where?

> Yes, what time and where? How about noon at Felippes?

Noon is great --- where is Felippes?

> Noon is great --- where is Felippes?Near Union station --- here is a link:http://

Great -- I will meet you there at noon.

OK

(confirmation and clarification request)(commitment request)(offer a possibility or confirmation)(confirmation)(confirmation and clarification request)(clarification)(confirmation)Optional15This how Winograd and Flores would have seen our lunch-date conversation.

I dont expect you to analyze every conversation in these terms, but thinking about them will hopefully improve your writing and communication.